


Nailed It

by Patterfly



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Kindergarten & Pre-school, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Gen, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Arthur, Kid Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Kid Fic, Kid Merlin (Merlin), Kindergarten, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mocking, Nail Polish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 19:23:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17987156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Patterfly/pseuds/Patterfly
Summary: Merlin liked his painted nails. He was excited to show them to other kids at kindergarten. But how they'll react to a boy with nail polish?





	Nailed It

Merlin really liked nail polish.

He loved how pretty and colourful they are. They reminded him of flowers in their garden and butterflies he loved chasing so much. He always looked with wonder how every day his mum painted hers in different colors. Her hands looked then even prettier than always.

One day he asked his mum if he could have his nails painted also. He wanted those beautiful colors on his hands too. His mum smiled warmly and pained his nails with his favourite colour – blue.

He loved it. He often just stared at them observing how light reflected in them making them even more pretty. Every time when polish was tearing he asked his mum to paint it again.

He was so excited to show them to his friends in kindergarten. He could image their awed looks when they will look at them. Maybe even they will want to paint their nails too and they could compare their colors together.

So, after kissing his mum good bye, he went to the building with high spirit.

It didn’t take long for others to notice the change. He was inside only couple of minutes when Cedric come to him, looking incredulity at his hands.

“Do you have polished nails?”

Merlin beamed, proudly showing his hands.

“Yeah! They are pretty, right?”

Cedric looked at him with disbelief and then burst out laughing. Merlin frowned, confused.

“What’s so funny?”

Without replaying him and still snickering, he turned around and yelled:

“Look, everyone! Merlin had polished his nails!”

I took a moment for everyone to surround him. They looked amused, as if his pretty blue nails were something funny. Merlin felt self cautious. What’s going on?

“Why are you all laughing?”

“Are you serious?” asked Val, smirking. “Only girls polish their nails.”

Merlin had shaken his head.

“It’s not true. My mum painting her nails every day.”

“Your mum is a girl, dummy!” said Cenred, laughing.

“No, she’s not! She’s a mum!”

Everyone laughed. Merlin felt himself blush.

“Merlin is a girl! Merlin is a girl!” sang Cedric.

“I am not!” he yelled. He looked with hope around. He noticed Gilly, standing a little far away, biting his lips. Gilly was his friend. They often played together in magicians. “Gilly! Tell them that they are wrong!”

“I’m sorry, Merlin.” He said quietly. “But nail polish really is girly thing.”

Merlin’s lip trembled and he felt tears gather in his eyes. He curled his hands into fists and hided them behind his back. Everyone were still laughing or singing ‘Merlin is a girl’. Why his mum let him paint his nails if only girls do it? He felt like a freak. Even his friend thought this was weird. He didn’t want to be a freak. He didn’t want to paint his nails anymore. He wanted his friends to like him and nobody to laugh at him. He started crying.

“Leave him alone!” He heard someone yelling. It was Arthur. He came and stood in front of Merlin, looking at them with anger.

Arthur was kid everyone wanted to play and be friends with. He was great at playing knights and always made everyone laugh. Merlin also wanted to be friend with him but Arthur didn’t want to play with him. He said that Merlin is too small and too clumsy to be a knight. When Merlin said that he could be a wizard instead, he just laughed and said that he was weird. Merlin thought he was a prat. He was the least person he thought could stand out for him right now.

“Why?” asked Cenred. “He has blue nails. Like a girl!”

“Merlin isn’t a girl. He is a boy. And his nails are pretty.”

Merlin looked at him with disbelief, feeling himself blushing again, but this time not because of shame.

Kids stopped laughing.

“Only girls have pretty nails.” Said Kai.

“Boys can too!”

“If you think so, why don’t you paint your nails?” Val challenged him with a smirk.

Arthur looked flustered.

“I...”

“You will not do it, because you don’t want to look like a girl!” laughed Val. “You too think Merlin looks stupid.”

“It’s not true!”

“So why don’t you do it?” asked Cenred

“Because I don’t want to!”

“It’s because you don’t want to be a freak like him!” exclaimed Cenred with a triumph.

Merlin started crying. Even if Arthur stood out for him, he too thinks that Merlin is a freak. He run away from them and went to corner, when he always were playing. He felt how everyone looked at him.

“Merlin, wait!” Arthur yelled. Merlin ignored him. “Merlin.” He said, going after him.

“Leave me alone.”

“But...”

“Leave me alone! I am not a freak!”

“I don’t think you are!”

“But you think my nails are weird. You are like others!”

Arthur’s whole face turned red with anger.

“I was defending you!” he yelled. “It’s not my fault you were stupid enough to paint your nails like some weirdo!”

Merlin was trembling from anger and humiliation. Arthur looked as if realizing that he said something cruel, because anger washed out from his face, leaving guilty expression.

“Merlin, I...”

“Leave. Me. ALONE!”

Arthur pursed his lips and frowned.

“Fine!”

And then he turned around and went away.

Rest of time in kindergarten were passing really slow. He was playing alone, because no one wanted to play with him. He also didn’t want to ask anyone because he was scared of more teasing. He knew that they were still laughing at him. Sometimes someone said to him something outright but mostly they just snickered between themselves and whispered about him. Arthur was glancing at him, looking concerned, but he was ignoring him. All the time Merlin was on verge of crying. But he didn’t want to make himself even more noticeable than he already was, so he tried to swallow his tears. He didn’t feel like playing. He just tried to scrub nail polish away. But it only made them look ugly. He wanted to go home so bad.

Couple of hours later his mum finally come. He ran into her arms, crying.

“Oh, my boy, what happened?” She asked concerned, hugging him.

“They were all laughing at me!” he sobbed. “They said only girls paint their nails and called me a freak!”

His mum frowned.

“It’s not true, Merlin. Everyone can paint their nails if they want to. There is nothing wrong with it.”

Merlin only has shaken his head, crying more.

“I don’t want to anymore! I don’t want them to laugh at me.”

She looked at him with heartbroken expression.

“Oh, my boy.” She hugged him tighter. “My beautiful boy.”

After a couple of minutes she let him go and smiled at him sadly.

“Merlin, sweetie, can you wait here a couple of minutes? I have to talk to your teacher. Is that’s okay?”

Merlin didn’t want to be left alone but he didn’t want to worry him mum further. So he nodded.

“Thank you, honey.” She rustled his hair, stood up and get to other room. After a couple of minutes, she emerged from there, looking stern and angry. But when she looked at her son, she smiled warmly.

“What about we go to ice cream?

Merlin beamed.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Okay!”

After eating his favourite strawberry ice cream he was a lot better. But still when he looked at his tattered paint on nails he felt shame and sadness. So when they came back home, he asked his mum to clean it up.

Looking at him sadly, she knelt in front of him.

“Listen, Merlin. I know that you had bad day. Those kids shouldn’t make fun of you. There is nothing wrong with pained nails.”

“They were saying that only girls do that.”

His mum had shaken her head.

“They are wrong. Everyone can do it if they want. They were laughing because you were different. But, sweetie” she smiled. “It’s wonderful to be different. It means you are special. It’s also very brave.”

“Brave?”

“Yes, Merlin. Not everyone understands different and because of that they can find it funny or weird. But it’s because they are too scared to try being different too. They want to fit so much that they limit themselves. By trying to be ordinary they make themselves less that they could be.”

“What does it mean?

“It means, honey, that people who are not afraid of being different are brave and wonderful. People who don’t care what people think and being themselves are most wonderful and unique. They show others how to be brave and beautiful.”

She laid her hand on his shoulder.

“I understand if you don't want to paint nails anymore. Honestly, I wouldn't be any less proud of you. I just want you to be happy. Do you want me to clean your nails?”

Merlin bit his lip, thinking. What his mum was saying was wonderful. He wanted to be brave and special. He really liked his nails until everyone started to make fun of him. Would he still paint them anyway?

“What if I won't have friends because of it?”

His mum smiled kindly.

“Not everyone will be laughing. You’ll learn who is and who isn't worth of your friendship from how they treat you when you are yourself.”

Merlin thought very hard. He was afraid that he will again be as lonely and sad like today. But there is nothing wrong with pretty nails so he shouldn't be ashamed of them and try to fit no matter what. He wanted to have true friends and still wear beautiful polish nails. He wanted to be proud of them like earlier.

Decision made, he nodded his head resolutely.

“I want still paint my nails.”

Mum smiled proudly and her eyes shone with unshed tears. She hugged him.

“My beautiful, brave boy. I'm so proud of you.”

He felt happy. It would be all right. His mum was proud of him! It’s had to mean that he’s did a good thing!

 

***

 

The next morning Merlin nervously was starring at his newly pained nails. They were pretty as always but what if this day will be as bad as yesterday? Would he still be brave?

He looked at building of kindergarten biting his lip. His mum squeezed his hand gently.

“Remember, honey that their insult does not matter at all. All what’s matters is for you to feel good with yourself.”

Merlin nodded, feeling a little better. He can do this. Somehow.

When it got time for his mum to leave him, he felt a little sick. He was feeling brave when he was with her but could he manage on his own?

She, noticing his nervousness, hugged him tightly.

“You’ll do alright.” She whispered in his ear. Then she leaned back a little, still not letting him go off her arms. “I talked to your teachers yesterday. Even if someone will be mocking you, they’ll stop them.”

Merlin nodded, feeling a little more at ease. His mum then kissed him goodbye and left.

He took a big breath and get inside of playroom. They get here a little late, so rest of kids were already playing. When he came inside a few of them looked at him, but returned to playing quickly afterward. He expected instant mocking and insulting but no one even was interested in him. It left him standing next to doorway awkwardly.

Not knowing what to do, he looked around in search for Gilly to play with, as he always did before, but when he found him, he saw that he was already playing with Cenred. He frowned. He wouldn’t even want to be friend with him anymore after how he didn’t help him yesterday. He didn’t need him.

Making his way to empty spot by the corner, he refused to feel sad about it. His mum was right. He wasn’t worth to be his friend.

But even if it’s was true, when he grabbed some toys to play with, he felt lonely. Is he are going to have no one to play with anymore?

Just when first tears were gathering in his eyes, he heard familiar voice behind him.

“Mind if I join you?” Arthur sat beside him, not waiting for answer. Merlin glanced at him.

“You want to play with a weirdo?”

Arthur shrugged and took one of toys from the floor.

“Weird can’t be all bad, yeah?”

Merlin gaped, staring at Arthur hand, holding plushy of Hawt Dawg Man. Or rather at his nails. Which were bright red.

“What... you... what?” Merlin asked incoherently.

Arthur smiled cheeky.

“You are always so weird. You have weird ideas for playing, wearing weird clothes and saying weird things. But I like it about you. So when yesterday you showed with another weird idea” he shook his hand, showing off his nails “I thought it would be fun to be weird together.”

Arthur looked at him uncertainly, as if expecting Merlin to start laugh at him. Merlin could only gawk. What he said was at the same time most insulting and sweet thing anyone had ever said to him.

Arthur not getting any answer started writhing in place, seemingly uncomfortable.

“Maybe I should... go...?” He asked with no trace of his earlier cheekiness.

Before he could do something as stupid as leaving, Merlin leaned over and kissed him at the cheek.

Arthur flushed all over matching color of his nails. Merlin smiled also feeling himself warmer than unusual.

“You should stay and play with me then. If you really are ready for my weird ideas.”

Arthur smiled wildly.

“They can’t be more weird that those nails of yours.”

Merlin punched him playfully in the arm, laughing. Somehow he didn’t feel as lonely anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based on true happenings. I read a story of kid painting his nails to kindergarten. Children were laughing at him and one of them stood up for him. His dad explained to him that those kids are wrong and encouraged him to not give up on polish nails. Later his older brother and his dad both pained their nails to show their support. Boy bravely decided to still wear nail polish.
> 
> It's so wonderful story and wonderful boy and his dad. I thought it would be nice to adapt it to our own wonderful boys ;)
> 
> I hope you like it. Please, leave a comment :)


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